The carriage journey went smoothly, and after five days we reached our destination.
The royal capital of the Kingdom of Luines.
Leaving the country had never been an option. The country where I’d been born was relatively safe compared with the rest of the continent, and more importantly, it offered many advantages to anyone trying to make a living as an adventurer.
“Erik, see you around!”
Alan said goodbye and disappeared into the streets of the capital.
He had relatives living here and planned to stay with them for a while. He’d arranged to meet them, but we were already past the appointed time. Entering the capital through the gate had taken longer than expected, so Alan had rushed off.
“For now, I should find the inn they told me about.”
Since it was a shared carriage, passengers had occasionally changed during the journey. I’d spoken with many of them and gathered information along the way, including a recommendation for an inn suitable for novice adventurers.
It stood just off the main road on a street with fewer people, though it wasn’t gloomy or unsafe.
The place was called the Fledgling Inn. It was a clean, three-story building.
“Excuse me. Do you have a room available?”
“We do. Would you prefer the second or third floor? The third floor costs more.”
“The second floor, please. How much is one night?”
“One silver coin with breakfast and dinner, or twenty copper coins without meals.”
Prices in the capital were slightly higher than in other towns and villages, so twenty copper coins for a room without meals was cheap.
There were five kinds of currency: iron, copper, silver, gold, and platinum coins, the last of which ordinary people almost never saw. One hundred coins of each type were worth one coin of the next type.
“I’ll take two nights with meals for now.”
“Got it. If you’re staying here, I should introduce myself. I’m Amanda, the proprietress. My husband, Ted, is the cook, and our daughter, Anna, helps out from time to time.”
“Amanda, Ted, and Anna. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Erik. I’m not an adventurer yet, but I plan to become one.”
After introducing myself to Amanda, I paid in advance and received the key to my room.
She then showed me around. The first floor had the reception desk, dining hall, bathing room, and toilets.
I couldn’t believe an inexpensive inn had such facilities, but Amanda explained that an adventurer who’d grown up here had renovated the place several years ago to repay them for their care.
“So that’s why this inn looks cleaner than the other buildings.”
“That’s right. Other adventurers raised here have made it big, but that one was the first to come back and do something like this.”
The first floor also had a large communal room for guests who only needed a place to sleep. The capital hosted many events, so although the room normally served as storage or a banquet hall, they opened it to guests during busy events.
There were twenty rooms on the second floor. Mine contained a bed, table, and chair, with enough space for everyday living. Twenty copper coins for a room like this was inexpensive.
Since third-floor rooms were also vacant, Amanda let me see one as a special favor. A third-floor room cost one silver coin without meals and two with them, so living on the second floor offered better value. There were only ten rooms upstairs because each was twice the size of a second-floor room.
“That takes care of two of the three necessities: food, clothing, and shelter.”
After the tour, I returned to my room and sat in the chair.
The sun was already beginning to set, and Amanda had said dinner would be served in less than an hour. I decided to remain at the inn for the day instead of registering at the Adventurers’ Guild.
I’d spent five days riding in a carriage and my back still ached. Even if I registered now, I wouldn’t be able to move properly.
“If I lie down, I’ll fall asleep. I should study instead.”
After showing me my room, Amanda had lent me a book intended for novice adventurers. The Adventurers’ Guild lent out copies of it, and it was titled The Adventurer’s Handbook.
Many novice adventurers stayed at this inn, so the owners had gone out of their way to purchase a copy from the guild and lend it to people like me for free.
I gratefully accepted their kindness and spent the time before dinner studying for my registration the next day.
“Dinner’s ready! Are you awake?”
“I’m awake. Thank you for coming to get me.”
Time had passed without my noticing. When someone knocked, I closed the book, opened the door, and answered.
Anna went on to alert the other rooms while I headed to the dining hall.
Dinner consisted of bread, vegetable soup, and meat. Being able to eat this much as part of a one-silver-coin stay was generous, and I was grateful. I ate slowly, chewing everything well.
“For a child, you certainly take your time eating. When Anna was your age, she gobbled everything down.”
“I always ate alone at home, so I suppose I got into the habit of eating slowly.”
I never had an opportunity to eat with my family. They prepared food for me, so I didn’t starve, but I ate separately. My family ate in the living room, where no place was set for me.
My choices were to eat standing in the kitchen or carry my food up to the attic. If I stayed in the kitchen, I could hear my family talking. Being unable to join their conversation made me miserable, so I always ate in the attic.
“…It’s remarkable that you endured a life like that.”
“I’d lived that way almost from the time I learned to walk, so I was used to it.”
“I see. That’s why you seemed strangely mature. You grew up in a place where you had to become an adult.”
Amanda silently placed an extra piece of meat on my plate.
When I stared at her in surprise, she said, “It’s on the house,” and walked away.
I was still hungry, so I gratefully ate it.
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